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! style="font-size:120%; background:lightblue; text-align:center; padding:5px 0;" | Industrial Age
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! style="font-size:120%; background:lightblue; text-align:center; padding:5px 0;" | Modern Age
 
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| style="padding:15px;" | [[File:CityBeautiful.jpg|250px]]<br>
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| style="padding:15px;" | [[File:TheLostYear.jpg|250px]]<br>
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'''[[The City Beautiful]]'''<br>
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'''[[The Lost Year]]: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine'''<br>
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'''Author:''' Polydoros, Aden<br>
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'''Author:''' Marsh, Katherine <br>
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'''[https://amzn.to/3oX7Xt7 Buy at Amazon] | [https://bookshop.org/a/15682/9781335402509 BookShop.org]<br><br>'''
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'''[https://amzn.to/3WEGV7w Buy at Amazon] | [https://bookshop.org/a/15682/9781250313607 BookShop.org]<br><br>'''
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'''Time Period:''' Industrial Age <br>
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'''Time Period:''' Modern Age <br>
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'''Time Frame:''' 1893<br>
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'''Time Frame:''' 1933<br>
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'''Geographic Area:''' North America <br>
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'''Geographic Area:''' Russia <br>
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'''Country:''' United States<br>
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'''Country:''' Russia, United States<br>
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'''Topics:''' Gilded Age, Jewish Immigration, Chicago World's Fair<br>
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'''Topics:''' Holodomor, Soviet Union <br>
 
'''Genre:''' Fiction <br>
 
'''Genre:''' Fiction <br>
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'''Reading Age:''' Young Adult, Adult<br>
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'''Reading Age:''' Upper Middle Grade<br>
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'''Format:''' Novel<br>
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'''Format:''' Chapter Book<br>
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'''Published:''' 2021
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'''Published:''' 2023
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! style="font-size:120%; background:#fb607f; text-align:center; padding:5px 0;" | Content Warning
 
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| style="padding:15px;" | murder, antisemitism, homophobia, mentions of rape
 
 
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|}
  
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'''''[[American History|American History]]''' > [[Industrial Age Booklist|Industrial Age]] ''
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'''''[[World History|World History]]''' > [[Modern Age Booklist|Modern Age]] > Soviet Union''
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'''From the author of Nowhere Boy - called “a resistance novel for our times” by The New York Times - comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that devastated Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s.'''
  
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''' "An achingly rendered exploration of queer desire, grief, and the inexorable scars of the past." —Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come A Darkness'''
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Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.
  
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Death lurks around every corner in this unforgettable Jewish historical fantasy about a city, a boy, and the shadows of the past that bind them both together.
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But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh’s latest novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor – the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades.
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Chicago, 1893. For Alter Rosen, this is the land of opportunity, and he dreams of the day he’ll have enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America, freeing them from the oppression they face in his native Romania.
 
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But when Alter’s best friend, Yakov, becomes the latest victim in a long line of murdered Jewish boys, his dream begins to slip away. While the rest of the city is busy celebrating the World’s Fair, Alter is now living a nightmare: possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk, he is plunged into a world of corruption and deceit, and thrown back into the arms of a dangerous boy from his past. A boy who means more to Alter than anyone knows.
 
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Now, with only days to spare until the dybbuk takes over Alter’s body completely, the two boys must race to track down the killer—before the killer claims them next.
 
  
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"Chillingly sinister, warmly familiar, and breathtakingly transportive, The City Beautiful is the haunting, queer Jewish historical thriller of my darkest dreams."—Dahlia Adler, creator of LGBTQreads and editor of That Way Madness Lies
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An incredibly timely, page-turning story of family, survival, and sacrifice, inspired by Marsh’s own family history, The Lost Year is perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray and Alan Gratz's Refugee.
  
 
==Emily's Review==
 
==Emily's Review==
−
I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words, so bear with me. Growing up, if I managed to find books with Jewish characters at all, they were inevitably set during the Holocaust. It wasn't until I was an adult that I found books with Jewish characters set in other places and times. So I resonate with what the author says in the Author's note about being frustrated by that and wanting to write the books that he needed growing up. I also loved that this story is about Jews fighting back against injustice. We need more of that. 
+
This story had me hooked from the first chapter. Told in multiple perspectives across two timelines, we learn the history of one family during the Holodomor.
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This is a story about grief, longing, and acceptance. It is about a young man finding his way in an America that doesn't seem to want him. Alter is doing everything he can to save enough money to bring his mother and sisters to America. Romania is no longer safe for them, but he's discovering that America is only marginally safer. Jewish boys are being killed and when Yakov, Alter's roommate and friend, dies, his dybbuk takes hold of Alter. A dybbuk is the spirit of a dead person who has unfinished business. It can possess a person to try and make them do their will - in this case, Yakov needs Alter to find the man who is killing Jewish boys and stop him before anyone else dies.  
 
  
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This book has a lot going for it - a creepy atmosphere, romance, and a murder mystery. The characters are compelling and well-written. This is an unabashedly Jewish story, from dybbuks to mikvahs, Yiddish, matchmaking, shul, and the challenges of being a Jewish immigrant in America. It is a very gritty novel, with lots of blood and gore. And again - love that it was set in 1893 Chicago and not the Holocaust or New York.  
+
We're following the perspectives of three children - Matthew, who lives in 2020 New Jersey and is living through the early days of the Covid pandemic, Helen, a Ukrainian American girl living in 1933 Brooklyn, and Mila, a young Soviet girl in 1933 Kyiv. Matthew's GG, or Great Grandmother has come to live with them during the pandemic. When his mother grounds him and takes away his switch, he spends his time helping his GG sort through her boxes of belongings. This is where he discovers a long-buried secret.
  
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While I really liked a lot of things about this story, I found the romance element a little bit bland. I didn't feel there was much chemistry between Alter and Frankie. I also thought there were a few things that happened a little too conveniently. But these were minor enough that I still found the story engaging. My favorite character by far was Raizel, the girl that the matchmaker wants to match Alter with - she is feisty and smart and I loved what she brought to the story.  
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GG tells him the story of three cousins. Helen, a young girl determined to help her family in Ukraine, Nadiya, a starving Kulak, and Mila, a spoiled Soviet communist. The way the author wove these children's stories together was captivating. I literally couldn't put this book down. I really appreciated the way the author used reporting and media to tell the story. The characters in this book are so vibrant that they practically walk off the page. I loved seeing their sheer determination and will to live. This story left me wanting to read more about this period in history.  
  
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Because of the content warnings, I recommend this book for ages 16+.
+
I think children will find this story fascinating. It paints a vivid picture of a devastating time period and links it to the modern day in a way that I think grounds the story for modern readers. I appreciate that the author based a lot of this story on her own family history.
  
 
==Other Similar Books==
 
==Other Similar Books==
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Other suggestions on the subject of the '''Gilded Age'''.
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Other suggestions on the subject of the '''Soviet Union'''.
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Gilded Age]]
 
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Other suggestions on the subject of the '''Chicago World's Fair'''.
 
  
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Chicago World's Fair]]
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Soviet Union]]
 
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Revision as of 19:57, 15 January 2023

History book by book logo.jpg
Welcome to History Book By Book,
Reading your way through history... one book at a time...

> We are currently recommending a total of (1,059) books, divided into (65) specific booklists on this website.

First Time Here? Check Out: Frequently Asked Questions | How Do I Use History Book By Book (HBBB)?

General Outline

Prehistory Booklist (4,500,000,000-6000 BCE)

  • Stone Age (2,600,000-3300 BCE)

Early Civilization Booklist (6000-3000 BCE)

  • Ancient China (6000-220 CE)
  • Mesopotamian Civilization (3500–500 BCE)
  • Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1900 BCE)
  • Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE)
  • Ancient Egypt (3100-30 BCE)

Classical Age Booklist (3000 BCE-400 CE)

Early Medieval Booklist (400–699 CE)

High Middle Ages Booklist (700-1399 CE)

  • Vikings (790–1100)
  • Aztec Civilization (1345–1521)

Renaissance Booklist (1400-1599 CE)

Enlightenment Booklist (1600-1699 CE)

Age of Revolutions Booklist (1700-1839 CE)

Industrial Age Booklist (1840-1899 CE)

Modern Age Booklist (1900 CE - present)


See also: American History | African American History | Indigenous American History | Jewish History


List of All Booklists

Other Booklists

Why is HBBB a thing?

I am a list maker. I love organizing booklists, to-do lists, checklists of all kinds. I spend a great deal of my time researching books for my job and I’ve often found it frustrating that there isn’t one reliable resource where I can find an organized timeline of literature. So I’ve created one. I’ve set out to create a resource that will guide you on a literary adventure through history.

You can find books here on just about every time period or historical topic and for any age level. I’ve done my best to research and vet each title to ensure that this list is filled with living books. I’ve noted content warnings when necessary and my daughters and I have reviewed many of the titles recommended. This has been and will continue to be a labor of love, as we continue to build this website and update these book suggestions. I hope you find it helpful!

Thanks and Happy Reading, Emily

Emily's Favorites

History book by book.jpg

Book Suggestions Published in 2023


See also: 2022 | 2021 | 2020

Featured Weekly Book Suggestion - 1/16/2023

Modern Age
TheLostYear.jpg

The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
Author: Marsh, Katherine
Buy at Amazon | BookShop.org

 Time Period: Modern Age
Time Frame: 1933
Geographic Area: Russia
Country: Russia, United States
Topics: Holodomor, Soviet Union
Genre: Fiction
Reading Age: Upper Middle Grade
Format: Chapter Book
Published: 2023

World History > Modern Age > Soviet Union

From the author of Nowhere Boy - called “a resistance novel for our times” by The New York Times - comes a brilliant middle-grade survival story that traces a harrowing family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine that devastated Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s.

Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.

But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present-day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh’s latest novel sheds fresh light on the Holodomor – the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, and which the Soviet government covered up for decades.

An incredibly timely, page-turning story of family, survival, and sacrifice, inspired by Marsh’s own family history, The Lost Year is perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray and Alan Gratz's Refugee.

Emily's Review

This story had me hooked from the first chapter. Told in multiple perspectives across two timelines, we learn the history of one family during the Holodomor.

We're following the perspectives of three children - Matthew, who lives in 2020 New Jersey and is living through the early days of the Covid pandemic, Helen, a Ukrainian American girl living in 1933 Brooklyn, and Mila, a young Soviet girl in 1933 Kyiv. Matthew's GG, or Great Grandmother has come to live with them during the pandemic. When his mother grounds him and takes away his switch, he spends his time helping his GG sort through her boxes of belongings. This is where he discovers a long-buried secret.

GG tells him the story of three cousins. Helen, a young girl determined to help her family in Ukraine, Nadiya, a starving Kulak, and Mila, a spoiled Soviet communist. The way the author wove these children's stories together was captivating. I literally couldn't put this book down. I really appreciated the way the author used reporting and media to tell the story. The characters in this book are so vibrant that they practically walk off the page. I loved seeing their sheer determination and will to live. This story left me wanting to read more about this period in history.

I think children will find this story fascinating. It paints a vivid picture of a devastating time period and links it to the modern day in a way that I think grounds the story for modern readers. I appreciate that the author based a lot of this story on her own family history.

Other Similar Books

Other suggestions on the subject of the Soviet Union.

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